Coil supporting rack



J 1954 G. J. ZETTELMEYER 87 COIL SUPPORTING RACK Filed Oct. 4, 1951 Patented June 15, 1954 COIL SUPPORTING RACK Gerhard J. Zettelmeye assignor to United r, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, States Steel Corporation, a

corporation of New Jersey Application October 4, 1951, Serial No. 2 i9,687 4 Claims. (Cl. 242-49) The present invention relates to a rack for supporting coils of wire and the like for splitting.

The object of the invention is to provide a rack structure suitable for receiving and supporting large bundles or coils of elongated material, such as Wire and the like, in order that a work man can quickly and with a minimum amount of physical effort divide and split the bundles into smaller multiples. In the case of cold drawn wire, the use of the rack I propose makes it possible to conduct the splitting operation at the wire drawing machine while prior to the development of my rack, it was necessary to transport the bundles to the bundling department where the splitting and bundling operations were performed. The splitting of the bundles at the wire drawing machine facilitates transporting the material to the bundling department inasmuch as it is more convenient and safer to load a multiplicity of smaller bundles on a wire-mill buggy than a few excessively large ones which are awkward and dangerous to handle. The use of my rack makes it possible for the bundling department to operate more efficiently inasmuch.

as the bundlers are not required to split the bundles as in the past but merely prepare the bundles for shipment.

These and other objects will become more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view showing the loading hook of the rack in raised loading position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, partly in section, showing the loading hook in horizontal supporting position;

Figure 3 is an end view partly in section looking toward the loading hook;

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the connection of the loading hook to the rack arm;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view partly in section showing the arrangement of the loading hook of the supporting clevis therefor when the hook is in raised position; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the hook in lowered supporting position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 2 indicates a box-like metal base which may be made hollow as shown in Figure 2 with sections 4 for receiving weights 6, such as steel billet sections or the like. An elongated socket 8 is permanently affixed in upright position on the base 2 at one end thereof. A tubular member H) is slidably fitted in and supported by the socket 8. The lower portion of the tubular member I0 is provided with a series of vertically aligned holes l2 therethrough which .are adapted to register with holes M in the socket 8. Thus, the tubular member It! can be adjusted vertically and held in the adjusted position by means of a bolt I6, which extends through the holes l4 and one of the holes If. A nut is threaded on the projecting end of the bolt 'maintains the tubular member in adjusted position. A rack arm 20 extends from the upper portion of the tubular member Ill normal thereto. The rack arm 26 may be welded to the tubular member I!) and reinforced by means of a web member 22 as shown in Figures 1 and 2. An eye 24 is affixed to the upper end of the tubular member I0 whereby the rack may be lifted and transported by means of a crane hook.

A clevis 26 may be welded to the outer end of the rack arm 20 for adjustably supporting a curved hook 28. The end of the book 28, which is mounted within the clevis 26, has an elongated slot 30 cut therein which cooperates with a pin 32 to retainthe hook in the clevis. As best seen in Figures 5 and 6,,clevis 26 is provided with an angularly inclined face or wall 34 between its supporting legs 36. Surfaces 38 and 40 of the hook 28 cooperate with the inclined wall 34 to establish the position of the hook in either the raised vertically offset position or the substantially longitudinal position shown in Figures 5 and v 6 respectively. As best shown in Figures 5 and 6, surface 38 is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the hook 28 and surface 40, while continuous with surface 33, is inclined 'ltherefrom at an angle less than degrees,

When the hook 28 is in the raised or loading position, it forms a tangent with the end of the rack arm 20 whereby a continuous uninterrupted surface is created from the open end of the hook 253 to the horizontal upper surface of the rack arm 20. This makes it possible to unload a bundle of wire W from a stripper X' to the horizontal rack arm 20 without causing any snarling of the inner convolutions of the bundle. When the stripper X is collapsed bundle W falls vertically until contact is made with the top side of the hook 28 which results in the convolutions of the bundle cascading uninterruptedly from the hook 28 onto the rack arm 20. When the bundle W is positioned on the rack arm 20, hook 28 is lowered to its longitudinal coil splitting position as shown in Figure 2. With the hook 28 in its lowered position the operator can divide and split the bundle by simply shifting the desired number of convolutions from the rack arm end of said arm,

to the curved portion of the hook 28 and cutting them free from the remainder of the bundle positioned on the rack arm 20. The convolutions of wire on the hook 28 are tied together into a bundle which may then be removed from the hook and placed on a wire-mill buggy by means of a small overhead crane. The convolutions remaining on .the rack arm are. also tied together and removed in the same manner. Hook 28 is then raised to its loading position so that the rack will be in readiness for receiving the next bundle.

The rack is weighted down by means of the weights 6 so as to prevent itfrom upsetting when the bundles slide onto the rack arm against the tubular member ID.

A hook 44 is attached to the top Side of tubular member 10, as shown holding lengths of tie-wires that are used for tying the split bundles of wire.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modificationsmay'be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A coil supporting rack comprising a fiat base member, an elongated socket rigidly mounted vertically upright on said base member, a tubular member adjustably mounted in said socket and projecting upwardly therefrom, means for fixing said tubular member in vertically adjusted position, a rack arm extending from the upper portion of said tubular member normal thereto, a hook adjustably connected to the free and means for selectively adjusting said hook to one position .for receiving a coil of wire from apoint above saidrack and guiding the same onto said rack arm, and to another position substantially coaxial with said rack arm for receiving a predetermined number of convolutions of a coil supported on said rack arm.

2. A coil supporting rack as defined in claim 1 characterized by a clevis having an inclined wall between theleg portions thereof, said hook having a substantially oval shape slot through the end thereof remote from its free end,,one edge of said slotted end being parallel to the longitudinalaxis of said hook,,another edge of said slotted end being continuous with said paralleledge but inclined therefrom at an angle less than 451 degrees, hook being mounted with its slotted endfitted in said clevis and pivotally retained therein by arpin passing throughsaidcljevis and said slot, said edges of said hook cooperatingiwith Z and: hit.

in Figures 1 and '2, for" the inclined wall in said clevis to selectively maintain said hook in position offset from the vertical and in position substantially coaxial with said rack arm.

3. A rack for supporting a coil of wire for splitting which comprises a flat base member, an elongated socket rigidly mounted on said base member andextending vertically upward therefrom, an elongated member adjustably mounted in said socket and projecting upwardly therefrom, means for fixing said elongated member in vertically adjusted position, a rack arm extending from the upper portion of said elongated member normal thereto, a curved hook adjustably'connected to the free end of said arm, and means for selectively adjusting said hook to one position slightly offset from the vertical tangent with said rack arm for receiving a coil of wire from. a point above said rack and guiding the same onto said rack arm, and to another position substantially coaxial with said rack arm for receiving a predetermined number of convolutions of a coil supported on said rack arm.

4. A rack for supporting a coil of wire for splitting as defined by claim 3 characterized by said means for selectively adjusting said hook including a clevis affixed to the free end of said rack arm, said clevis having an inclined wall between the leg portions thereof, said hook having a substantially oval shape slot through the end thereof remote from its free end, one edge of said slotted end being parallel to the longitudinal axis of said hook, another edge of said slotted end being continuous with said parallel edge but inclined therefrom at'an angle less than 45 degrees, said hook being mounted with its slotted end fitted in said clevis, a pin inserted through said clevis and said slot for retaining said hook within said clevis, said edges of said hook cooperating with the inclined'wall in said clevis to selectively maintain said hook in position oiTset from the vertical tangent with said rack arm and in position substantially coaxial with saidrack 'arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 911,149, Moore Feb. 2,1909 1,481,086 Fitz Jan. 15, 1924 1,787,301 Bailey Dec. 30, 1930 1,907,841 Lewis May 9, 1933 1,956,398 Nullmeyer Apr. 24, 19.34 2,480,461 Gabrielson Aug. 30-, 1949 2,633,306 Dorsey Mar. 31,1953 

